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Loop Trails in Canada

There are 181 hikes in Canada in our database that fit. They average 4.5 km and 101 m (331 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 73.7 km.

That is 16 percent of the 1,141 routes we map in Canada. They are shorter than the local average, 4.5 km against 14.1 km, which is what makes this a practical shortlist for a half day. They also climb less than the area average, 101 m (331 ft) against 317 m (1,040 ft), so they suit a recovery day or a group with mixed fitness.

Circular routes: park once, finish where you started, and never walk the same section twice. The mix is broad: 154 are rated easy and 6 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day. A good share of them are loops, so you can park once and finish where you started.

Trails

Easy

Lower Falls Side Trail

Ontario · Canada

Distance
1.5 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
33 m
Typical duration
22 min
  • Waterfall
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Salt Mountain Trail

Nova Scotia · Canada

Distance
1.3 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
28 m
Typical duration
18 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Des Cascades

Quebec · Canada

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
61 m
Typical duration
40 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
Easy

Arab Lake Gorge Trail

Ontario · Canada

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
27 m
Typical duration
18 min
  • Lake
  • Canyon and gorge
Expert

La Cloche Silhouette Trail

Ontario · Canada

Distance
73.7 km
/ 45.8 mi
Elevation gain
1,621 m
Typical duration
19 hr
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Easy

Sentier des Six-Chutes

Quebec · Canada

Distance
2.2 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
48 m
Typical duration
32 min
  • Waterfall
Easy

Sentier la Chute

Quebec · Canada

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
19 m
Typical duration
13 min
  • Waterfall
Easy

Homesteader Trail

Ontario · Canada

Distance
2.9 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
63 m
Typical duration
41 min
Easy

Laura Secord Trail

Ontario · Canada

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
25 m
Typical duration
16 min
Easy

Beach Ridges Trail

Manitoba · Canada

Distance
3.1 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
69 m
Typical duration
45 min
  • Coastal
Expert

Boucle Zen Nature

Quebec · Canada

Distance
57.5 km
/ 35.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,264 m
Typical duration
15 hr
  • Mountain
Easy

Boucle du Mont Laurier

Quebec · Canada

Distance
3.1 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
69 m
Typical duration
45 min
  • Mountain
Easy

King Mountain Trail

Quebec · Canada

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
36 m
Typical duration
24 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Rogart Mountain Trail

Nova Scotia · Canada

Distance
5.5 km
/ 3.4 mi
Elevation gain
122 m
Typical duration
1 hr 20 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Woodlands Lookout

Alberta · Canada

Distance
3.4 km
/ 2.1 mi
Elevation gain
74 m
Typical duration
49 min
  • Panoramic viewpoint
Moderate

Arkon Lake Loop

Ontario · Canada

Distance
9.8 km
/ 6.1 mi
Elevation gain
216 m
Typical duration
2 hr 22 min
  • Lake
Moderate

Big Salmon Lake Loop

Ontario · Canada

Distance
15.3 km
/ 9.5 mi
Elevation gain
336 m
Typical duration
3 hr 41 min
  • Lake
Moderate

Cedar Lake Loop

Ontario · Canada

Distance
12.5 km
/ 7.8 mi
Elevation gain
275 m
Typical duration
3 hr 1 min
  • Lake
Easy

Chickadee Loop Trail

Ontario · Canada

Distance
2.7 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
60 m
Typical duration
39 min
  • Lake
Easy

Doe Lake Trail

Ontario · Canada

Distance
3.2 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
70 m
Typical duration
46 min
  • Lake
Easy

Evergreen Trail

Ontario · Canada

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
46 m
Typical duration
30 min
  • Lake
Moderate

Gibson Lake Loop

Ontario · Canada

Distance
8.3 km
/ 5.1 mi
Elevation gain
182 m
Typical duration
2 hr
  • Lake
Easy

Hemlock Lake Loop

Ontario · Canada

Distance
4.4 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
97 m
Typical duration
1 hr 4 min
  • Lake
Easy

Kingfisher Loop Trail

Ontario · Canada

Distance
3.2 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
71 m
Typical duration
47 min
  • Lake
Moderate

Lac Reid

Quebec · Canada

Distance
7.6 km
/ 4.7 mi
Elevation gain
168 m
Typical duration
1 hr 50 min
  • Lake
Easy

Lake Tour

Quebec · Canada

Distance
5.0 km
/ 3.1 mi
Elevation gain
111 m
Typical duration
1 hr 13 min
  • Lake
Easy

Little Clear Lake Loop

Ontario · Canada

Distance
6.0 km
/ 3.7 mi
Elevation gain
132 m
Typical duration
1 hr 27 min
  • Lake
Moderate

Little Salmon Lake Loop

Ontario · Canada

Distance
8.9 km
/ 5.6 mi
Elevation gain
197 m
Typical duration
2 hr 9 min
  • Lake
Easy

Moose Lake Trail

Alberta · Canada

Distance
2.7 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
59 m
Typical duration
39 min
  • Lake
Moderate

Sentier du Lac Clair

Quebec · Canada

Distance
4.6 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
490 m
Typical duration
1 hr 41 min
  • Lake
Easy

Sentier du lac Caribou

Quebec · Canada

Distance
5.9 km
/ 3.7 mi
Elevation gain
130 m
Typical duration
1 hr 25 min
  • Lake
Hard

Slide Lake Loop

Ontario · Canada

Distance
18.8 km
/ 11.7 mi
Elevation gain
414 m
Typical duration
4 hr 39 min
  • Lake
Moderate

Small Slide Lake Loop

Ontario · Canada

Distance
8.8 km
/ 5.5 mi
Elevation gain
193 m
Typical duration
2 hr 7 min
  • Lake
Moderate

Tetsmine Lake Loop

Ontario · Canada

Distance
8.7 km
/ 5.4 mi
Elevation gain
191 m
Typical duration
2 hr 6 min
  • Lake
Easy

Pine Meadow Trail

Ontario · Canada

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
27 m
Typical duration
18 min
  • Alpine meadow
Easy

Tall Grass Prairie trail

Manitoba · Canada

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
38 m
Typical duration
25 min
  • Alpine meadow
Easy

Boiler Creek Trail

Saskatchewan · Canada

Distance
2.9 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
63 m
Typical duration
41 min
  • River
Easy

Devil's Punchbowl Trail

Prince Edward Island · Canada

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
35 m
Typical duration
23 min
  • River
Easy

Hike: Fullerton Loop

Alberta · Canada

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
158 m
Typical duration
1 hr 7 min
  • River

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
International Appalachian Trail, QuébecQuebec6.2 km137 m1 hr 30 minEasyApril to October
Lower Falls Side TrailOntario1.5 km33 m22 minEasyApril to October
Salt Mountain TrailNova Scotia1.3 km28 m18 minEasyApril to October
Des CascadesQuebec2.8 km61 m40 minEasyApril to October
Arab Lake Gorge TrailOntario1.2 km27 m18 minEasyApril to October
Sentier du Tour du Lac ClairQuebec4.5 km99 m1 hr 5 minEasyApril to October
La Cloche Silhouette TrailOntario73.7 km1,621 m19 hrExpertApril to October
Sentier des Six-ChutesQuebec2.2 km48 m32 minEasyApril to October
Sentier la ChuteQuebec0.9 km19 m13 minEasyApril to October
Arkell Springs Loop TrailOntario2.6 km57 m38 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with International Appalachian Trail, Québec, Lower Falls Side Trail, Salt Mountain Trail. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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